So, on both counts, it has a great deal of importance. At the same time, one must realize that it is a large, complex, and difficult undertaking from the standpoint of sheer engineering, quite apart from its scientific aspects. It will call for a highly qualified organization to perform effectively and the same type of preparation is required of such an organization as any large undertaking which you see in industrial concerns. As you know very well, when industry starts on a new large program, it takes a number of years to work the plan out, to get the staff, to be sure that they work as a team and be sure that they know how to go about it. This project has the same characteristics. With these preliminary remarks, Mr. Chairman, I want to say how pleased we are to come to you today to outline this program and tell you the current status of it, as you have requested. We know your keen interest in it. The Foundation's support of Project Mohole goes back to 1958, when a small grant was made to the National Academy of Sciences for feasibility studies proposed by the Amsoc Committee. The words stand for American Miscellaneous Society which was a group that formed itself back in the early days composed of people interested in a wide variety of subjects. They happened to concentrate upon this one and later were taken in by the National Academy of Sciences, so to speak, with the formation of a more formal committee. It has an interesting name and an interesting history and now is known by the name of the Amsoc Committee under the National Academy of Sciences. Additional grants were made by the NSF in 1959 and 1960 to continue and expand the work being done by the Amsoc group and to support surveys of possible drilling sites. This initial effort, which came to be known as phase I of the project, was essentially completed with the successful drilling operations carried out with Foundation support in fiscal year 1961. A total of about $1.8 million was provided for phase I, most of which took the form of a contract with Global Marine Co. for the drilling operations. The phase I drilling operations used an existing drilling barge, the Cuss I. Certain experimental equipment was added, to make it possible to drill in very deep water, and a number of holes were drilled, the deepest being 601 feet into the ocean bottom in water about 2 miles deep. These tests demonstrated that it was possible to hold an unmoored drilling vessel on station in deep water, using the "dynamic positioning" system developed for the project. Much engineering information was obtained which was needed to proceed toward the ultimate objective and, in addition, phase I produced unique scientific data by recovering cores from much greater depths than had been done before. It should be noted, however, that phase I was in the nature of a small-scale experiment by comparison to the ultimate task of drilling the mohole. In order to pierce the earth's crust and reach the mantle, we must be able to drill through some 15,000 feet of rock, approximately, at a point where the ocean is about 3 miles deep. You understand that the reason for the necessity of doing this at the bottom of the ocean is that, curiously, the earth's crust is thinner under the ocean bed than it is under the continent. The depth or thickness of the crust under the continent is almost prohibitive for this kind of operation. The equipment will have to withstand forces considerably in excess of anything encountered in phase I and over a much longer period of time, since it is expected that drilling of the ultimate Mohole will take 2 years or more from the time drilling is started. Objectives: When the decision was made to enter into phase II of the project, it was defined in the NSF announcement as including: (1) The conduct of deep ocean surveys. (2) The design and construction of deep drilling equipment. (3) The drilling of a series of holes in the deep ocean floor, one of which will completely penetrate the earth's crust. The objectives of the project are set forth in the prime contract as follows: The contractor will plan, manage, supervise, perform and/or coordinate all activities and furnish or procure all services, material, and facilities necessary for the drilling, sampling, and logging of a hole through the crust of the earth for scientific purposes, at a site to be selected in collaboration with the National Science Foundation. This project *** has as its ultimate aim the drilling of a hole to the Mohorovicic Discontinuity (the boundary separating the crust from the mantle of the earth) best defined by the sudden increase in seismic wave velocities, sound velocities essentially, from some lower value to a velocity of 8 kilometers per second or greater), the determination of the physical and chemical nature of the discontinuity at the selected site, and the recovery of samples of the mantle rock. The hole will be sampled, logged, and cored as directed by the National Science Foundation. The project will be considered completed at such time as the National Science Foundation determines that the above aims have been met or cannot be met. The contractor shall be responsible for conducting such immediate and preliminary interpretations of the logs, samples, and other geological and geophysical studies as are required for the successful day-to-day drilling operations and shall be responsible for providing facilities for the proper storage of all samples, cores, and data. The conduct of preliminary scientific studies at the site will be the responsibility of the National Science Foundation. The final disposition and distribution of core material and scientific data for the purpose of more complete and sophiscated studies by scientists will be carried out by the contractor as directed by the National Science Foundation. Scientific work will be performed in accordance with the scientific program as developed by the Foundation. Relation to National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council: The Foundation recognizes the fundamental scientific nature of the project and the need for centralized scientific guidance. It further recognizes that the project should be aimed to attain as far as possible the scientific objectives conceived for it by the Amsoc Committee of the National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council, with whom the project originated. We have a formal agreement with the Academy Council whereby its Amsoc Committee will provide these scientific objectives and this scientific guidance. The Amsoc Committee studies all of the scientific aspects of the project and makes specific recommendations to the Foundation. As you know, the Amsoc Committee has five special panels which include specialists in the respective areas in addition to Amsoc Committee members. These panels cover the following: Scientific objectives and measurements; Site selection; Drilling techniques; Naval architecture; Present status: The prime contract was awarded to Brown & Root, Inc., of Houston, Tex., a year ago. The performance has been acceptable and is satisfactory. A detailed and comprehensive engineering plan has been submitted to the Foundation and examined by the Amsoc Committee and reviewed by the Foundation. Special briefing sessions for both NSF officials and Amsoc Committee members were held recently. Brown & Root has assembled a competent Mohole project staff, including some 70 to 80 people, engineers organized in groups and specializing in drilling, mechanical, and stress analysis techniques, and in instrumentation and electronics. There are also naval architect, marine engineers, geologists, geophysicists, specialists in oceanography and meteorology. The staff is augmented by engineering assistance from the central Brown & Root office and outstanding consultants in the technical fields. I have available for you a current Brown & Root Mohole project organizational chart. You have tables showing the funding of the project. Table I indicates the funds available to the project in fiscal years 1962 and 1963, and our estimate for 1964, totaling $21,594,490. A summary of obligations through fiscal year 1963, is provided in table II. You will note that to date $3,748,990 has been allotted to Brown & Root under the contract. Of that amount, $1,512,610 has been expended and $210,036 committed, totaling $1,722,646 as of May 25, 1963. In a project of this magnitude and complexity, subcontracting plays a very important part. Much of the research and development work and, in the proper time, of course, the procurement of the major hardware is accomplished under subcontract. Lists have been provided to you showing 17 subcontracts awarded as of June 10 and 21 proposed subcontracts. Most of these are of the research and development type, as would be expected, but they give some indication of the progress being made. Engineering approach: The engineering plan sets forth the overall requirements and criteria for equipment, instruments, and techniques; reviews and summarizes the research and design work accomplished; and defines an approach that offers assurance of accomplishing the scientific objectives of the project. In general, the program consists of several systems. Some are composed of items readily available; some require but slight modifications, and others involve new, unusual, and time-consuming developments. A critical item in the plan is the drilling vessel. Drilling core holes through the unconsolidated sediments and hard rock will require a safe, steady vessel. Criteria for the drilling vessel have been established, taking into account the exacting requirements of the drilling operations and scientific studies, as well as the seagoing requirements imposed by the environment. Many types of vessels were considered, including those used by offshore oil drilling concerns as well as conventional ships. As a result of these preliminary surveys, three vessel designs were compared: a jumboized T-2 tanker, a Navy-type vessel; a new-construction ship; and a column-stabilized platform. Each of these vessels is advantageous in certain respects but a plaform seems to offer the best promise from the standpoint of minimum motion. This is an example of the design of the plaform here. Mr. LENNON. Without objection, the photograph of that platform will be placed in the record at this point. (The photograph mentioned follows:) MOHOLE DRILLING PLATFORM DESIGN.-Representing a considerable advance in the state of the art, rather than a radically new concept, the drilling platform designed by Brown & Root for Project Mohole will insure maximum stability and optimum positioning capability. The largest and most sophisticated drilling platform ever proposed, its design has benefited from the experience gained by the oil industry in the use of numerous floating platforms, as well as from the most advanced techniques in naval architecture and marine engineering. The platform is designed to operate during winds of up to 33 knots (near gale force is defined by the U.S. Weather Bureau as winds of 32 to 38 knots) and in currents up to 3 knots. It incorporates six columns so arranged that the platform will remain safely afloat even should one entire column be flooded. Basic configuration is a six column platform standing on two cylindrical lower hulls. The upper hull has three decks and contains all machinery, living quarters, laboratories, and drilling equipment. The twin lower hulls are used for storing fuel, drilling water, and ballast. The drilling derrick is located at the center of the top hull, the position of minimum deck motion. Two main propulsion propellers, one in each of the lower hulls, are provided for moving the plaform to and from the drilling sites. For drilling operations, the lower hulls are submerged and the columns partially flooded to increase the draft of the vessel. Positioning of the platform is accomplished by six right-angle drive propellers located in the columns, together with the main propellers. Size of upper platform: 234 by 250 feet. Total height, keel to upper deck: 152 feet. Length of lower hulls: 370 feet. Light ship displacement: 10,000 tons at 21-foot draft. Normal drilling displacement: 24,000 tons at 70-foot draft. Dr. WATERMAN. One of the most important factors relating to the choice of a vessel is the life of the drill pipe. The fatigue of the drill pipe is accelerated by the vertical motion of the drilling vessel, and the present design of the drill stem is based on its use under conditions where heave should not exceed 4 feet. These results can be attained by two approaches. On a drilling ship, heave may possibly be reduced by the stabilization of the derrick or of the crown block. This solution to the problem requires complicated devices which are experimental and involve safety hazards. It is, therefore, the consensus of the engineers involved in the study that a properly designed floating drilling platform, with a suitable positioning system and adequate mobility, offers the best present solution to requirements of the Mohole project. A platform concept has been developed with six columns and twin lower hulls of cylindrical shape. Here you see a model. A scale model has been constructed and we have it available today for your inspection. It is self-propelled and positioning is accomplished by right-angle drive propellers located in the columns in conjunction with twin main propellers on the lower hulls. The platform can be drydocked and has great promise from the standpoint of working area and stability. Design studies are continuing, and a subcontract for structural analysis is underway with the General Electric Co. Designs are also well advanced on a drilling vessel of the more conventional type. A model of this is also available for your inspection on my right. Preliminary work on site selection is proceeding. A seismic survey of sites north of Puerto Rico and along the so-called Barracuda Fault zone off Antigua has been completed. Requests for proposals to conduct similar work in the Hawaiian arch area have been sent out by Brown & Root to interested companies. A dynamic positioning system for the drilling vessel has been worked out. Preliminary designs on propellers and positioning power units have been developed. A fully automatic system with manual override for determining and keeping positioning within a 500-foot radius circle in 18,000 feet of water is being developed. The system will consist of an outer array of radar targets mounted on surface floats and an inner array of sonar targets mounted on taut-line bottom-moored subsurface buoys placed around the drill site. A third array of sea floor mounted sonar targets will serve as a backup system. |